The Return
by invisibleinnocence
Summary: Before he can reach Legion HQ, Brainiac 5 is attacked by the Fatal Five. All the Legion can do is hope for his recovery. First episode of my Season 3.
1. Attack

**Greetings from Pandora Darkspell! _And Luke Pevingsey..._ Luke is going to be my mascot for this fanfic, because I want to be original and Brainy's kind of...being used in my story. _This is really stupid... _Did I mention he's based on one of my guy friends who is almost EXACTLY like Brainy? So it's like the real thing, but British! _I am nothing like this fictional character in which you seem to portray me!_ You ARE LIKE HIM! *squeel! glomp* _ Pandora Darkspell does not own Legion of Superheroes, no matter how much she'd like to, but she owns the plot line and unfortunately me, so do not use without her permission! _Or you will have to wear the Piggy on your head! _Enjoy the story. _Popcorn, Luke? **

* * *

It was a chilly, mid-October day in New Metropolis. Clouds hung thick with rain in the sky, thunder rumbled in the distance. People rushed into their homes, taking cover, except for one individual, just standing on the border between the main city and the Legion Pavilion.

He was dressed in black, the hood of his jacket over his head. He looked at the ground with deep green eyes that hid behind strands of blonde hair. He would have seemed normal if not for the green skin and the three white circles on his forehead, and the noticeable purple and black jumpsuit under his jacket and jeans. He had been standing at that spot for almost an hour, trying to make himself move forward.

Rain started to pour down, a raindrop hit him on the nose. He looked up.

Straight into the Emerald Eye of Ekron.

"Hello, Brainiac 5, fancy we should find you here," the Emerald Empress said, floating right next to it.

"Empress," Brainaic 5 growled. "If you're looking for the Legion, they're not to far ahead." He stepped back to turn away, but Persuader put the blade of his axe to Brainiac 5's neck. Brainy craned his head as best he could, making his hood fall off, showing a ragged mop of blonde, avoiding the blade.

"It's been a while, Brainy," Tharok said. "How long has it been, a year?"

"Just about," Brainiac 5 said as casually as he could. "What do you want?"

"That. is a good question," Empress answered, in a cheery voice. "You see, Brainaic 5, little do you know, the Legion is nothing without you." She leaned forward, placing her hand under Brainy's chin, "They've been trying to find us for _weeks_. We've been trying to find you."

Brainy struggled against Persuader's grasp, who pressed the blade harder against his neck. "Don't think about it, genius." Tharok warned.

"As I was saying," the Emerald Empress continued. "We've been tracking you down. Why you may wonder? Why is the Fatal Five looking for an ex-Legionnaire with now powers but a 12th level intelligence?" she chuckled. "That's exactly the reason why."

"You see Brainiac 5," Tharok picked up where his leader left off. "The Legion is nothing without you. We've recruited new villains from all over the galaxy. They've. Lost. Every. Single. Battle. They don't know what in Hell is going on, because they don't have your intelligence. Think about it Brainy, who's always the one telling everyone else what something is, what it does, what it's strong points are, what it's weak points are. Who is it, Brainaic 5?"

"It's me." Brainy said as smoothly possible, realizing what danger he was in.

"Exactly. Without that, they go into battle with _nothing_ on their side. Everything is new. There are always...surprises."

"But enough of that," Empress interrupted. "We're only here for you." Persuader relaxed his hold on Brainiac 5, but before the ex-Legionnaire could move, Validus smacked him through a near-by, empty, coffee shop.

Brainy sat up, yanking out a giant shard logged in his arm. He looked at the piece of glass, covered in his blood. He looked back at the Fatal Five, Mano grabbing him by his shirt. "Get the idea, genius?" Brainy gulped, nodding frantically. Mano let go and Brainy staggered on his feet. "Good." Empress shot a blast of energy at Brainy, making him hit his head on the wall behind. Hard. Brainiac 5 put a hand on his head, seeing the ground sway. Spots started to appear in front of his vision. Before he could get his bearings, Validus picked him up in a bone crushing grasp. Brainiac 5 cried out in agony.

Empress laughed, "You see, once we kill you, the Legion of Superheroes will be nothing! Galactic domination will be ours!" Her laughter was cut short by a nudge from the Eye of Ekron, "Someone's coming, Validus, drop him. He'll be dead before anyone can get to him." Brainy hit the ground, too weak to cry out in his pain.

As darkness took over him, Tharok stood over him, wearing an evil smirk.


	2. Survival

**_Luke here. Pandora is kinda...busy... (cough) sitting on the couch listening to Three Days Grace and reading Special A (cough) _Huh? _Your author's note? _You're trained for this! You do it! _Alright. Fine. If you are a strong disbeliever in the Brainy/Vi ship (or LL/SG, PG/TW, or TG/BB for that matter), Pandora suggests that you stop reading her Season 3 series now. If you flame, it will simply be ignored, so don't bother, we warned you. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa. _**

* * *

There was blood. So much blood. "Oh, my God..." "Is that..." "No. It can't be..." Various legionnaires mumbled as they lined up around the scene. The rain was pouring in buckets, the puddles around the fallen ex-legionnaire were deep red. The water rippled in the harsh movements of his shallow breathing.

"Everyone move!" Cosmic Boy boomed, trying to get through the crowd, followed by Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl.

"Brainy..." Saturn Girl whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Lightning Lad whipped around, facing the crowd.

"I want to see all veterans now! Cham, you too. Everyone else go back to Headquarters, start tracking all villains!" Bouncing Boy, Triplicate Girl, Timberwolf, and Phantom Girl stepped forward. Chameleon Boy looked up at Lightning Lad, his arm around Shrinking Violet as she watched Brainiac 5 bleed on the ground, paramedics taking basic readings on him. Her eyes were filled with a look of agony, she bit her knuckles, trying to choke her sobbing.

Saturn Girl walked up to the two and took Shrinking Violet from Chameleon Boy. "Come on, Shrinking Violet, you should be here too." Cham joined the veterans.

"Only one team is capable of this," Cosmic Boy said. "The Fatal Five."

"Why would they attack Brainy?" Phantom Girl asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Timberwolf said. "We've lost every fight since Brainy's left. Empress probably figured out where he was." The paramedics lifted Brainiac 5's limp, unconscious body onto a floater. One walked up to the group.

"I'm assuming he's with you," he said quietly, looking over the teenagers with soft grey eyes.

"Not technically. But, yes, we know him."

"Cosmic Boy!" Lightning Lad hissed.

"He's with us," Cosmic Boy sighed.

"Jerk..." Triplicate Girl muttered under her breath.

"We'll do the best we can. I can't guarantee-" he finished his sentence, but the words were muted by crashing thunder. The legionnaires figured what he said though. The girls were on the verge of tears, while the guys looked solemnly at the ground.

"We better go to the hospital..." Lightning Lad said.

* * *

"His vitals are off the charts, Doctor, what should we do?" Brainiac 5 felt his head spinning. _What in hell happened?_ He thought. His vision was a blur, his whole body seared with pain. It pounded through his whole body with his racing heartbeat. A blurry female figure stood over him, brushing back his wet hair as she cleared up the blood on his head and face.

"Vi..." he croaked out, trying to make out the figure standing over him. It sure looked like Shrinking Violet. Oh! How he longed to see her. "Vi...." Blackness started to crawl into his vision.

"Brainy, you're hurt, badly. You need to relax," The figure that looked like Shrinking Violet said.

"We're getting a blood transfusion from one of the Legionnaires. It turns out they have a Durlan on their team. He shares Brainiac 5's blood type," someone else said, but it sounded like gibberish to Brainy. Then everything was dark.

"Did he lose consciousness again?" a nurse asked, his hands shook as he held an oxygen mask to the patient's face.

"Yes," Dr. Salina Digby replied, "You're doing fine, Chuck. Help me stop the bleeding on his arm while I talk to Dr. Jones." The nurse nodded, removing a few shards of glass before applying gauze to Brainiac 5's arm.

"I need help stitching some of the wounds. The tissue around the chest wound is uneven and jagged, but-" Dr. Jones stopped, was some of his skin growing back at an extremely fast rate?

"What is it?" Dr. Digby asked.

"He seems to be healing himself...well, as for now. His body is probably so overwhelmed with everything, it can only heal in chunks, but-"

"He's a Coluan, remember? They were robots, they could regenerate their bodies in a matter of minutes," Dr. Digby realized.

"He's still a organic being, you can practically throw Coluan medicine out the door, some of it still might pertain, but the majority of it...."

"Well, we still need to keep it in mind. If we don't it could mean the end of him."

* * *

Saturn Girl stepped out of the room, everyone immediately circled around her.

"Is he okay?" Cham asked, looking at the solemn telepath.

Saturn Girl sighed, "It's hard to tell Cham. Your blood helped a lot, but Brainiac 5 has a long way to go. He was hurt badly..." She looked up at Lightning Lad. "How's Shrinking Violet taking it?"

"You can see for yourself," Lightning Lad gestured to Shrinking Violet. The superhero watched her friend through the observation window. Her head leaned against the glass, eyes soft pink and puffy.

Saturn Girl walked over to Shrinking Violet, "Hey."

"Hi," Shrinking Violet whispered back, her eyes didn't leave her friend.

"Are you okay?" she asked, SV shrugged as she watched her mom tend to Brainy. She had not left her spot since the Coluan teenager came out of surgery. "He's only thinking of you."

"I thought you didn't read minds without permission..." Shrinking Violet mumbled.

"I just kind of picked it up. He's been in and out of consciousness."

"It doesn't matter..." said Shrinking Violet, "He left us. Why should he care about any one in the Legion?"

"Vi..." Saturn Girl started.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!!" SV yelled, making Saturn Girl shrink back, as Shrinking Violet stormed off.

Lightning Lad looked as Shrinking Violet ran out side and took off. "Why did she run away? Isn't that-"

"Brainy always called her 'Vi'. It was a way he showed he was compassionate towards her..." Saturn Girl, "I didn't know the name meant that much..."


	3. Flashbacks and Press Coverage

**If you are disturbed by swearing, suicide attempts, and horrible press coverage, or are a die-hard Today Show fan, I suggest you skip this chapter. I warned you, so no flaming. (I'm taking precautions) This is kind of a dark humor chapter. It goes between the emotional flashbacks of Shrinking Violet, and the boys watching the news. I'm trying not to make this too serious, since LoSH wasn't an extremely serious show. That is why I included Cham, because he is a good comedic relief. There will be a few comedic relief chapters, so don't get to freaked out about my...seriousness. _PSH! YEAH RIGHT! _SHUT UP! Toaster Strudels were invented by Pillsbury. **

_

* * *

"Replace the greatest superhero of all time, with the ability to...get smaller."_

_ "Um, excuse me. I'm right here. And for the record, I can do a lot more than shrink."_

The memory replayed over and over in Shrinking Violet's mind. She didn't fly that far, just to the roof of the opposite building. She wrapped her arms around herself, crying again. Why did her emotions towards Brainiac 5 hurt so much?

_"I have to leave, Vi. I can't take being in the Legion right now..."_

Why did he leave? Did he hate her? Did he lose the desire to be around her after his ancestor took over him?

_"Brainy, you can't leave, you can't! Everyone is going to be so lost, I'll be lost."_

_ "I can't put everyone in danger. I can't put you in danger." He hugged her, but it felt cold and unloving._

Why did you go?

* * *

Cham sat in front of a holo-tele, eating a bowl of ice cream. The news was on, and Chameleon Boy was watching it like a faithful Star Trek addict.

"There were no survivors..." The female news anchor said, completing a report. The camera switched to the male anchor.

"We have Breaking News. The long absent member of the Legion of Superheroes, Brainiac 5, was discovered unconscious on the border between the Legion of Superheroes Pavilion and the main city. Brainiac 5 was rushed to the hospital with at least seven broken bones, a dislocated leg, head trauma, and severe gashes to the chest." the anchor changed his face from a sad to unnaturally cheerful expression. "Now for your local weather!" Cham looked at the screen somewhat confused at the change in mood.

* * *

_Shrinking Violet looked up into Brainiac 5's robotic eyes, her face red from anger. "Why can't you let us help you, Brainy? You think you can handle things because you have a 12th level intelligence, but when it comes to your emotions and sometimes your judgement in emotional situations you're as helpless as a kitten in the ocean! I know something's wrong!"_

_ "Vi, there's nothing wrong. I'm fine."_

_ "NO YOU'RE NOT!"_

_ "Stop yelling," he placed his hand on her shoulder, she just shrugged it off. _

_ "I thought you trusted me, Brainy," Shrinking Violet whispered. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"_

_ "Because nothing is going on."_

_ "Yes there is Brainy! Everyone has noticed. You're more unsocial than usual. You EXPLODED at Karate Kid for messing up a simple data file about STARFINGER! You've been acting power hungry, disobeying Cosmic Boy's orders...I don't know what to do!"_

_ "Leave me alone," Brainiac 5 said bitterly, nudging Shrinking Violet out of his room, and slamming the door._

The sun started to set, the sky exploded into different colors. Shrinking Violet took a deep breath. The cool air soothed her raw throat. Slowly, she slipped her flight right from her finger.

* * *

Bouncing Boy had joined Chameleon Boy in watching the news, chowing down on Chinese take-out. The male and female news anchor were laughing hysterically, because the weather man had made a "hilarious joke."

The female anchor composed herself, putting on a serious expression. "We have more on that breaking news. New Metropolis Hospital has released that Brainiac 5 is still in critical condition, though according to Doctor Salina Digby, he did gain a weak consciousness for approximately forty-five seconds. Brainiac 5 had been asking for fellow Legionnaire, Shrinking Violet," she crumpled up the piece of paper she was reading, "But enough of that, is your Toaster Strudel killing you?"

Bouncing Boy glanced at Cham, then started counting on his fingers how many Toaster Strudels he's had in his lifetime. Chameleon Boy's expression seemed more lost than ever.

* * *

Dr. Carlisle Jones strolled up to the group of Legionnaires, "Hello, the Legion of Superheroes I presume?"

Lightning Lad turned around, "Yes, um, you're the doctor in charge of Brainy?"

"Yes," Dr. Jones confirmed.

"So how's Brainy holding up?" Bouncing Boy asked.

"So far he is responding positively, we sent a blood sample to the hematology department, it should help in determining what medications we should put him on," he explained.

"What about injuries?" Cosmic Boy asked, trying to calculate how long the Coluan might be out.

Dr. Jones bit his lip, and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "Well besides the obvious injuries to the chest, your teammate has a few severely broken bones, a concussion, and a dislocated leg." He handed Cosmic Boy a folder, "You can see the x-rays for yourself."

Cosmic Boy took out an x-ray and held it to the light, everyone winced at the sight of it. He put it back quickly. "It's shattered like that?" he shuddered.

"The Fatal Five attacked him pretty hard. I'm surprised all his bones aren't broken like that."

"So how long is he going to be unconscious?" Cos said, giving up on his own calculations.

"Three weeks at the least. He might go in and out, but won't regain a full consciousness in that period of time, as long as his vitals hold strong."

"How are they now?" Triplicate Girl asked.

"We can't tell, if he's the only one of his kind, we need to write a whole new book. For now, we'll take the book of the species he's closest to, which seems to be Durlans."

After Dr. Jones nodded good-bye and walked down the hall, out of sight, the Legionnaires turned to each other. "Has anyone seen Shrinking Violet?" Phantom Girl asked. "She seemed like seeing Brainy hit her pretty hard..."

"She stormed out a couple hours ago, because Saturn Girl called her 'Vi'" Lightning Lad explained.

"Well no wonder! Brainy was the only one who called her that!" Bouncy exclaimed. "They were best friends!"

"We should go look for her, it's getting dark outside," Triplicate Girl piped up.

"I'll go with you, Trips," Phantom Girl said, and the two girls walked out of the hospital.

* * *

Lightning Lad and Timberwolf had joined Cham and Bouncing Boy in watching the news. "And that is you're update on the first Hundred Days of Winnama Wazzo's second term as President of the United Planets," the politics anchor concluded.

"Now for more on the Fatal Five Attack," the male anchor said, putting on his "grave face" again. "Actually, we have nothing to report!" He threw his papers up in the air.

"More on that story later, for now we have our exclusive interview with the man who defined the science of Lei Making," the female anchor put a lei around her neck, and started hula dancing.

"What kind of crap is this?!" Timberwolf exclaimed.

"The 'Tomorrow Show.'" Lightning Lad said, stuffing some sushi in his mouth.

* * *

Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl arrived just in time. "Shrinking Violet!" Triplicate Girl screamed, dividing herself and restraining the shrinking Imsk from jumping off the side of the building.

Phantom Girl picked up Shrinking Violet's flight ring, "What in HELL do you think you're doing?!" she yelled.

"It's not worth it anymore!" Shrinking Violet tried getting out of Triplicate Girl's grasp. "Brainy's going to die! They can't save him! I can tell, even Saturn Girl has lost faith in his survival!" She let her body drop like a dead weight. "I-it's...n-not worth it..."

Phantom Girl kneeled down. "Shrinking Violet, listen. They just said Brainy's doing _much_ better. And even if he didn't make it, do you think he would want you to kill yourself over it? What if Brainy ended up recovering and found out you killed yourself over him. I'm no telepath, but, Salu, I can tell you, he would be down right devastated." Shrinking Violet shook her head, trying to pull herself to the edge of the building. Triplicate Girl's purple body stood up.

"God damn it, Shrinking Violet! You're the closest thing to a friend that kid has ever had! The guys only treat him like a little brother, and I won't deny it, most of the girls take advantage of him. Even I have a couple of times. You, man, I have never seen Brainiac 5 happier since he met you! Yeah, he underestimated you, but it only took a few kick-ass moments to prove him wrong. He considers you his best friend out of the two hundred-plus people in the Legion!"

"Superman," Shrinking Violet said shortly.

"Yeah, SV, Superman isn't from the 31st century. Sure, Brainy idolizes him. To more extreme levels than most of us do, but I think he keeps you closer than the Man of Steel," Phantom Girl said. "Let's go back to the hospital."


	4. Improvement

**Thanks to everyone who has stayed with me for my story! It means a lot, just reading it makes me feel special. :) The cover art for this fan fiction is up on my deviantART page. It's how Brainy's hair looks at the end of the chapter, but he's not in his costume. I'll draw that later. _Keep R&R!_**

* * *

"HE SURVIVED?!" Tharok pounded on the control panel.

"Yes, that's right folks, New Metropolis Hospital has reported that Brainiac 5 has reached a stable condition. This bears good news for the Legion of Superheroes," the male news anchor from the _Tomorrow Show_ stated.

"So what?" Empress shrugged. "Just kill him again."

"There was no way he could have survived that!" the cyborg growled. Validus grunted. "Shut up!"

"You know, it would have been much more effective if you, I don't know, blew a hole through him," Empress suggested. "Being on a Y-7 rated show soften you up a bit?"

"No!" Tharok defended. "My canon wasn't charged...So I improvised."

* * *

"Stable condition? What a load of-"

"Lightning Lad, calm down." Saturn Girl put a hand on his shoulder. "Your anger is coming off a little too strongly." She smiled.

"Admit it Irma, this isn't ticking you off in the least bit?" Lightning Lad looked up at Saturn Girl. She shrugged.

"He's doing much better than last week. He's breathing unassisted and his brainwaves are normal."

Lightning Lad chuckled, "Normal for him? Or normal for normal people?"

"Normal for him," Saturn Girl giggled back. "I think he knows that Shrinking Violet is there. He always seems to do better when she visits."

"It's the singing. He can her her sing. She's been singing 'The (Shipped) Gold Standard' over and over again," Lightning Lad sighed. "Bouncy showed her that 'Fall Out Boy' band from the 21st century."

"Well it fits Brainy..."

"And his undying crush on Shrinking Violet? I don't think he could 'Scream 'I love you' at the top of' his 'lungs'," Lightning Lad grinned.

"Could you?"

"I believe there is a 'no screaming' policy here, but I can tell you I love you, Irma."

"I love you, too, Garth," Saturn Girl kissed him on the cheek.

"I just proclaimed my love to you in a _hospital_, and all I get is a kiss on the cheek?" Lightning Lad said in shock.

"Fine, you deserve a little more than that..."

Cosmic Boy stepped out of the gift shop, holding a giant teddy bear, he saw Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl making out on the couch in the lobby. He gasped, then snatched the nearest sexy-looking nurse, and kissed her passionately, hoping they would see. They didn't. And dear old, pompous Cos got a good slap on the face.

* * *

"How does it look?" Triplicate Girl showed Shrinking Violet and Phantom Girl the sketch pad she had been drawing furiously on for the past hour. She revealed a costume design for Brainiac 5, since his old one was ripped up, bloody, and beyond repair.

Phantom Girl took it from her hands, "Hum..." She made a few adjustments. "I remember Brainy saying he doesn't like gloves. We're better off with gauntlets. What do you think, SV?"

Shrinking Violet took the sketch pad from Phantom Girl. "Make the shoes ankle boots," she drew it out with a pencil. "Now it's perfect. He'll love it."

Phantom Girl turned to Brainiac 5, looking the 12th level intellect over. "His hair is bothering me so much....I can't believe he didn't take those hair products I gave him for Christmas when he left..." Brainy's hair had grown to unruly measures. "Damn, his hair grows fast..." It had reached his shoulders, but you couldn't tell, because it was so messy.

"Didn't you go to Beauty school for a while, Phantom Girl?" Triplicate Girl asked.

Phantom Girl grinned, "Yes. Yes, I did."

Chameleon Boy walked into Brainy's room and dropped the soda he was carrying, "Oh my God! What are you doing to Brainy?!" Phantom Girl was hunched over him, snipping away at his hair. She snapped up, brushing blonde off her clothing.

"What? I'm cutting his hair," Phantom Girl put her scissors back in their sheath. "All done!" she smiled.

Cham leaned over, "It looks good. I like it."

"It looks nice," Shrinking Violet blushed.

"Nice? Brainy looks totally HOT!" Triplicate Girl exclaimed, just as Bouncing Boy was walking by.

He back-tracked to the doorframe, "What?!" He looked over at Brainy. "Oh. Never mind."


	5. Awakening

**I apologize for this painfully short chapter. It's only 555 words, and barely over a page in Apple's Pages. I'm so sorry! (runs away crying) _Wow. Well think of it this way! Pandora's been writing the everything that goes after this scene, and has totally procrastinated on this scene. So that means that everything else is awesomely long! _I have (sniffle) like 70 different versions of this chapter! (BWWAAAAHHHH!) _Should it be B5/SV, should it not? Should another Legionnaire be there instead? _I even (cry) drew it out! _Man, that one was epic fail..._**

* * *

He felt light-headed, thoughts swimming. Brainy tried to get a grasp on some coherent thought, but it all just faded away. He tried remembering what he last saw, the Fatal Five, yes, and...getting attacked... Brainy felt his head throb. His whole body throbbed with pain. It hurt.

"Mom, stop. It's not like that. We've only been on a few missions together. It's nothing."

"Salu, you haven't left for almost three days..."

_Salu...Shrinking Violet....Vi!_ Brainy opened his eyes, taking in the room as his vision came into focus. "Vi?" Brainy called weakly. He saw his friend's face light up.

"Brainy!" she ran over to his side. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake."

Brainy gave her a weak smile. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you...standing over me..." Vi snorted, giggling.

Dr. Digby closed a holo-screen, "I'll let you two catch up, ten minutes. That's it." Then she walked out the room.

Brainy tried sitting up with one of his better hands, only to trigger an explosive pain across his chest. Vi eased him back down, "Take it easy, genius. You've been through a lot."

"I can see that..." Brainy commented as Vi brushed away some of his bangs. "Though I don't remember getting injured this badly." Shrinking Violet was about to tell him what had happened, but her memories took over and she looked away, remaining silent about the matter. "I won't persist..." Brainy said softly. With some struggle, SV helped Brainy sit up, and she took a seat on the bed. Brainy looked her over. She grew her hair out, it barely passed her shoulders, and it was layered. The flower in her hair was still green. She was wearing street clothing, a black t-shirt with purple designs, black jeans, and purple converse.

Shrinking Violet smiled, breaking the awkward silence, "Geez, Brainy. I've been waiting so long to talk to you, and you're finally awake...and I don't know what to say!"

Brainiac 5 looked down at his hands, "I sort of have something to say to you..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Vi..."

"Why are you apologizing, Brainy?"

"When...when Brainiac possessed me. I-I hurt you," he looked up at her. "It tore me apart, Vi. Then I never apologized before I left and-"

Shrinking Violet leaned forward and grasped him in a hug, "Do you really think I hate you or something for that? You're my best friend, Brainy!"

"Vi, Vi, Vi..."

"I don't want that to change! Ever since we-"

"VI! Let go! You're hurting me!"  She let go, Brainiac 5 rubbing his still bandaged arm, both of their faces were blushing deeply, "Sorry, Brainy."

"It's okay, really," he answered. Brainy felt his head spinning, overwhelmed with emotion. "I missed you," he said without really thinking.

"I missed you, too," Shrinking Violet replied, feeling herself lean forward.

It was perfect, but then-

_**BAM!!**_

The door slid open fast and startled, Brainiac 5 and Shrinking Violet came in too fast and bashed noses.

"Ow!" they said, simultaneously.

Dr. Jones stood in the doorway, looking like he just sprinted across the whole hospital, "Oh, Brainiac 5, you're awake."


	6. This Chapter Lacks a Creative Title

**Happy New Year everyone! I was the only one that stayed up till midnight at my house. hee hee. I watched Dark Victory to pass the time, as well as write this chapter! In almost every single one of my fan fictions I have Brainy read War and Peace in an incredibly short amount of time, even in a story where I turn them into little kids. (He's as big as the book then XD) _Enjoy Chapter 6! Next is a full comedy chapter! Yay...._  
**

* * *

"Ah..." Brainy winced as Dr. Digby applied antiseptic to his arm.

"If you would hold still it wouldn't hurt nearly as much," she said.

"Sorry..."

"You gave Jones quite a scare there. We haven't seen your vitals spike that high since the night you came in," she explained, dabbing the almost healed wound with a cloth.

"I didn't mean too..." Brainy looked away.

Dr. Digby laughed, (much like her daughter, without the snorting), "Don't worry about it, Brainy. We've had to deal with many patients that have us running across wings." She released the platform that was holding up his arm. "Give it a day or two, and it will be fully healed, you heal quickly."

"My sincere thanks," Brainy said.

"Do you want me to bring your friends up here? I'm sure they're dying to see you," Dr Digby said as she walked out the door. Brainy nodded.

* * *

"BRAINY!" Cham glomped his favorite veteran.

"Cham, Cham, Cham-"

"Dude, HELL as broken loose almost the second you-"

"Chameleon Boy! Let go! This embracing hurts...a lot."

Cham let go, and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, Brainy."

Shrinking Violet nudged him with her elbow, "Don't worry, Cham, I did the same thing." Everyone crowded around, all of them were in civilian clothing, reflecting their costume colors.

Lightning Lad ruffled Brainy's hair, "How you feeling?"

"Better than, say, three weeks ago," Brainiac 5 smirked.

"Good, 'cuz we're backed up on repairs. We need some 12th level intelligence."

"It's nice to know you have not changed."

"Oh, don't listen to him, Brainy," Phantom Girl said, punching Lightning Lad in the arm. "But you already know nobody does anyway."

"Shut up, PG."

Bouncing Boy pulled out some DVDs out of his pocket, "I got some movies for you to watch! Since...it can get pretty boring here, and you being a 12th level intellect and all, get through things pretty fast..."

"DVDs?" Brainy questioned, "Aren't those from the 21st century?"

"Uh-huh!" he set the DVDs on Brainy's lap. "Good luck figuring out how to watch them!" Brainy shook his head, like he usually did at Bouncing Boy.

Triplicate Girl rolled back and forth on her feet, "I would say something, Brainy, but I'm afraid I might reveal something about a surprise us girls have for you..."

"Phantom Girl cut your hair," Saturn Girl chuckled.

"Really?"

Timberwolf put a hand on Brainiac 5's shoulder, "I got cookies at HQ for you, since you, you know, eat now."

"Thank you, Timberwolf," Brainy smiled.

* * *

Validus pointed at the holo-tele screen, it was plain as the eye could see. "Brainiac 5 Has Regained Consciousness at New Metropolis Hospital!" Tharok growled, the rest of the team was mocking him. The Emerald Empress had given him the _privilege _to kill Brainiac 5 himself. How could he mess that up? The little brat had been kicking his sorry ass to prison every time they faced in combat. The one time Brainiac 5 couldn't fight back, and he screwed it up. _If only I had recharged my ion cannon before we left..._ He improvised, yes, but how did the kid survive?! He should have bleed to death! _Coluans are weird, yeah, just tell yourself that. Coluans are weird, that's why Brainiac 5 survived._

"You keep telling yourself that, Tharok..." Empress sighed, laying on the table in front of him, filling her nails to a point. "Maybe it's because the kid always has something up his sleeve and can always out-smart you." The Emerald Eye of Ekron stared straight at him, even though Empress didn't. "You need to start analyzing his style or it's gonna be jail for you. I mean, look at Esper. Do you think she beat Saturn Girl out of pure luck? No. She analyzed her. Lightning Lord and Lightning Lad? Mekt knows Garth like the back of his hand, he could take him down from the inside out. Don't get me wrong, Tharok, I know you're smart, but Brainiac 5 is just smarter."

"I know how to take him down..." Tharok mumbled to himself.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Empress sang.

* * *

Cosmic Boy popped his head into Brainy's room, making sure nobody else was in the room. He only found Brainy almost done with _War and Peace_. "Hello, Querl Dox," he greeted, walking up to Brainy's bedside.

"Nobody has called me that is a long time..." Brainy answered not looking up.

"You're not Brainiac 5 anymore. You lost that name when you left the Legion."

"Alright..."

"If you want to return to the Legion, Querl, you're going to have to prove yourself. Unlike Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, I still don't trust you, and a few other Legionnaires don't either."

"I am fully aware of that," Brainy said shortly.

"Are you even paying attention to me?"

"My 12th level intelligence allows me to do multiple things at once," Brainy turned a page, "Though I would get through this much faster if you were not interrogating me about my intentions once I come back to Legion HQ."

"You're not allowed to come back," Cosmic Boy said through his teeth.

"Actually I am. According to the Legion Constitution, 'If a person is in danger of harm and the Legion is able to provide said person shelter, said person is allowed to stay at Legion Headquarters for an allotted amount of time, with consent of the founders.' The hospital is releasing me in a week and unfortunately, I have no place to go. Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad have offered me my old room back to stay in until I decide to leave, or the Legion accepts me back." In that time he had flipped seven pages. "If my math is correct, the majority of the founders have voted on letting me stay, so I will," he closed the book, finished.

Cosmic Boy found himself doing no more than scowling.


	7. Paging Dr Garth

**I'm sorry if Brainy and Lightning Lad seem a little OOC in this chapter. That is totally my bad, I tend to do that while writing comedy. If you can guess which show I based this scene on good for you! I'm not giving a prize or anything. The basic plot for this chapter isn't mine, cuz it's based on an episode of another TV show. And there's a guest appearance by Carslile (or wtvr) Cullen (don't know why, but he's a doctor, so its the first thing that came to mind.) ^_^ _enjoy this incredibly stupid 1,300 word chapter!_**

* * *

"Lightning Lad, what are you doing?" Brainiac 5 asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lightning Lad put his hands up, "I'm playin' doctor! What does it look like I'm doing, Mr. 12th-Level-Intellect?"

"That's illegal," Brainy responded, frustrated that he couldn't go across the room and smack Lightning Lad on the back of the head. He folded his arms instead.

"Yeah, yeah," Lightning Lad dismissed him with a hand. "Mekt does _plenty _of illegal things, he never has a problem." Brainy sighed and shook his head.

"Don't expect me to bail you out of jail. Considering my condition, it's not going to happen."

"Oh, you wouldn't save me anyway..." Lightning Lad retorted, pulling down a holo-file from a storage unit above Brainy's bed. "Let's see how you were doing the day you regained consciousness, shall we, Mr. Dox?"

"Let's not, and say we did," Brainy answered, laying back down, "And please don't call me that."

"Why not, Mr. Dox?" Lightning Lad grinned. "It sounds funny."

"Because I'll sue you for impersonating a doctor."

"Okay, okay," Lightning Lad surrendered, sliding through the file, "Chill, Mr. Dox."

Brainy gave Lightning Lad a death glare, Lightning Lad just laughed. "You're _lucky_ I can't stand yet."

Suddenly, Lightning Lad stopped scrolling through the monitor's history, "Brainy, what happened?" He gestured to the readings, which were completely off the charts.

Brainy froze, "Um, I don't know...I don't really remember..." he lied.

"Well you were on a jagillion different pain killers..."

"Is that even a number? Let alone, safe?"

"It's an exaggeration, Brai- I mean, _Mr. Dox_," Lightning Lad explained.

"Farm Boy."

"Industrial Agrarian Technician!"

"Then don't call me by my last name," Brainy dealed.

"Fine, fine...Is that normal????" Lightning Lad exclaimed, pointing at a reading of Brainiac 5's brainwaves.

Brainy snatched the holo-file from Lightning Lad, and threw it back in the storage, "It is for me. Now get out of that ridiculous outfit!"

Lightning Lad teared up, "B-But, one of the hot nurses gave it to me..." He showed Brainy the left side of his coat, which read, _Dr. Sparky, A.K._

"A.K.?" Brainy asked.

"Awesome Kisser," Lightning Lad explained.

"But aren't you-....never mind..."

"Maybe I should make her one too...she was a-"

Out of nowhere a group of medical students entered the room, led by a tour guide. Brainy twitched. A bunch of female students screamed at the sight of the Coluan teenager, "Ohmygosh! BRAINY!! YOU'RE SOOOO HOT!!!!!!" Someone even fainted. Lightning Lad couldn't tell if Brainiac 5 turned red with embarrassment, anger, or a random fever.

"LADIES! LADIES! SHUT UP!!" the tour guide turned around to Lightning Lad. "Oh, Dr. Wanzlontinyrelvitch, I didn't realize you were here."

"Uh, yeah, I'm Dr. Wanzl...whatever..."

"Lightning Lad!" Brainy hissed through his teeth, but quiet enough so only he could hear.

"Sorry, Doctor, I forgot you liked to be called by your nickname, 'Sparky,'" the tour guide corrected.

"Students, this is Dr. 'Sparky' Wanzlontinyrevitch, he is a master in the field of Altitudal Kinethetics," the tour guide explained.

"Is that even a field of medicine?" Brainy couldn't help wondering out loud.

"It's the study of people under 5' 8"," a student said to Brainy breathlessly.

"Oh, right, Altitudal Kinethetics...well, um, you see, I was just helping Mr. Dox over here, because as everyone knows, he's only 5' 7"", Lightning Lad explained. All the girls giggled. Brainy got even redder, Lightning Lad was pretty sure it was anger. Towards him. "Uh-huh," Brainy lay on the bed, his arms folded, and stared at Lightning Lad with a "I'm-Not-Helping-You-Out-Of-This-One" look.

"If you wouldn't mind, Doctor. We have a patient that needs complete reconstruction of their left hip, knowing that's in your field...would you do us the honor of gracing us with your talent?"

"Say what?"

"Wonderful, Dr. Wanzlontinyrevitch! Come this way. Everything is set up for you!" the tour guide cheered, pulling Lightning Lad out the door.

He looked over his shoulder at Brainiac 5 mouthing the words, "Help me!" over and over, a very distressed expression on his face.

Brainy sat by himself for a few seconds before he sighed heavily and started getting out of bed. "I hate you, Lightning Lad..."

* * *

Lightning Lad was pulled into the operation room, despite his protests. A dashing doctor came to greet him. "Dr. Wanslontinyrevitch, I presume? Pleasure to work with you. I'm Dr. Cullen."

Lightning Lad shook his hand timidly, "Uh...thanks." He tried to make himself look professional and serious. "So what's the situation?"

Dr. Cullen gestured to a particuarly...ugly injury. "Caught her hip in a meat grinder..." he tisked.

"How did she do that?"

"I don't know," Dr. Cullen said thoughtfully. Lightning Lad just stared at him wide-eyed. Dr. Cullen turned around, handing Lightning Lad a scalpel. "Would you do the honors?"

"Sure?" he squeaked, taking the scalpel from Dr. Cullen's hand. Lightning Lad cleared his throat. "Um...to start..." Everyone looked over his shoulder in interest. "I will make a small incision in the...uh..."

_**BAM!!!**_ The doors burst open. "Greetings!" Another doctor limped (heavily) in, over to Lightning Lad. "I am Dr. Yahanamas Dumbledore!" he announced in thick accent. "Vere iz ze Dr. Wanslontinyrevitch?"

Lightning Lad bent down to Dr. Dumbledore, "...who are you?"

"It's me, stupid!" Brainy harshly whispered back in his normal voice. "Can I talk to you?"

"Excuse me. This is my...assistant. We need to have a word with each other..." Lightning Lad said to the crowd.

"Iz a treedition," Brainiac 5 added, as the two retreated to a corner.

Lightning Lad scooped Brainy into a hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Can we please stop with this embracing?" Brainy wheezed. Lightning Lad let go. "I'm still hurt, remember? I have no idea how long I can stand, and the pain killers I am on are not," he stopped himself to wince and take a deep breath, "very strong. We- well I have to do this as fast as possible. You have to do _exactly _as I tell you."

"Brainy, this could take at least two hours, you can't last that long," Lightning Lad said.

"Do you-"

"Wait. You know what? I got an idea. Just follow my lead," Lightning Lad turned back around. "Now we are ready!" He exclaimed. Dr. Cullen nodded in approval. "I will let Dr. Dumbledore start this one."

Brainy raised an eyebrow and took the scalpel from Lightning Lad's hand. "To ztart, I vill mave a slieeght inseesion jeest above ze gassdroneemieeous."

"As you're doing that, I would like to remind you the last time you did that..." Lightning Lad said teasingly.

"Vhat are zou takking about?" Brainy growled.

"Well that last time, you know in med school..."

"Vhat time in medikal school?"

"Didn't the patient die?"

Brainy slapped Lightning Lad, "Ve do not sveek of that! It vas a cadaver anyvay!"

Lightning Lad snapped his fingers in a 'Z' formation, "Oh no you didn't!"

"Ve should, as vou Eartvings say, 'Take vis outside!'" Brainy shouted.

"We should!" Lightning Lad yelled grabbing Brainy by the collar of his coat, stomping out of the room. Once they escaped to the elevator, Lightning Lad set Brainaic 5 back on his feet, laughing. "What was with that accent?"

Brainy simply shrugged in reply, "It was an accent one of my college professors had back on Colu."


	8. Stay Away

Cosmic Boy stood up, "May I have your attention?" The group of Legionnaires looked up. "I'm calling this meeting regarding our former comrade, Brainiac 5." The group started yelling calls of disapproval, for or against Brainiac 5's sake.

"QUIET!" Saturn Girl shouted, making everyone obey her order. "As of now, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy and I have decided that we are going to let Brainy stay. He's still recovering, physically and mentally."

"Why?" a certain Sun Boy piped up, "He's a traitor and a villain!" A few other Legionnaires nodded in agreement. "He's proven that he can take us all with both hands behind his back!"

Lightning Lad stepped forward, "That wasn't Brainiac 5. It was his ancestor."

"Yeah, you've already told us that story..." Nemesis Kid mumbled. "He lived in his head, blah blah blah. The kid's mental if you ask me!"

Shrinking Violet, who was standing right next to Nemesis Kid, growled, "Hey! Brainy is not mental. He took that upgrade from Brainiac to save us in Kandor. He didn't take it to become that monster. We all knew Brainy wasn't evil when he joined the Legion. He put all his power to keeping Brainiac at bay."

"He probably told you to say that, huh, Shrinking Violet? You've been his little pet ever since you filled in for Superman two years ago," Colossal Boy said, coldly. "Brainiac 5 is a deceitful little jerk and we can't let him back."

"Hold up, Colossal Boy," Timberwolf stepped in. "May I point out that I myself have had 'control problems'? Brainy's situation may have been a lot more serious, but you can ask any of the veterans, I've had episodes, but I'm still here and accepted."

"Yeah, that's because you have no place to go!" Sun Boy shouted.

"Brainy's father is dead and his mother abandoned him! His home planet won't let him come back!" Timberwolf snarled. "The Legion is the only family he has, Sun Boy!"

"Anyway," Triplicate Girl started, "Hasn't Brainy helped us to become what the Legion is? He set up COMPUTO, invented the flight rings, come up with solutions when all hope seems lost. Brainiac 5 has been a huge asset in our victories."

"And in the end, it wasn't Supes and Kell who defeated Brainiac, Brainy defeated him all by himself!" Bouncing Boy finished.

"But-"

"Do you believe that, or do you want us to call back Superman X to tell the story himself? 'Cuz I don't think he will be happy to come back just to talk about Brainy to three thick headed people," Phantom Girl threatened. Sun Boy, Nemesis Kid, and Colossal Boy shrunk back.

* * *

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," Shrinking Violet said, letting go of Brainiac 5's shoulders.

"Wow," he said.

"Do you like it?" she asked timidly. "We can redo it if you don't..." The Legion had redone Brainiac 5's room, since it's previous accommodations only included a chair and some computer monitors. They completely tore it apart, then repainted it, added a bed, a desk, a few computers, a window, and a closet.

Brainy looked down at his best friend, "I love it," he smiled.

* * *

"So the founders weren't kidding. The infamous Brainiac 5 has returned to Legion HQ," Nemesis Kid said, Colossal Boy stood not to far behind him.

"Nemesis Kid, Colossal Boy, I see you are doing well," Brainy said calmly, setting down an invention he was working on.

"You won't be, you Sh-" Colossal Boy started.

"Hold it CB2. This isn't a reason to get fired up about your little girlfriend," Nemesis Kid intervened.

Brainiac 5 stood up, "I can assure you, Shrinking Violet and I are only friends," Brainy answered, finding it hard to say.

"Yeah, right!" Colossal Boy shouted. "SV was always in your lab two years ago. The little 'nickname' you gave her. She won't let anyone else call her 'Vi' but you! You've been stealing her from me!"

"What do you mean?" Brainy asked, truly naive to the situation.

"You're in love with her!"

The Coluan paled, "I-I am not!" he yelled back. Brainy felt his face get hot, his heart pounding.

"This isn't going as planned..." Nemesis Kid mumbled.

Colossal Boy jabbed a finger at Brainiac 5, "Stay. Away. From. Shrinking Violet."

"The point of this was to lower his self-esteem so he wouldn't rejoin the Legion," Nemesis Kid said in the background.

Colossal Boy turned around, "Let's go," he said shortly, and the two walked down the hall, out of sight.

"I'm not in love..." Brainy whispered, before he fainted.

* * *

**Ohh...the plot thickens! Brainy's finally back at Legion HQ, but the problem has only just begun! I find it funny that CB2 and Brainy argue, because they're both voiced by Adam Wylie in the cartoon, so it's like they're fighting with themselves! _Prepare for the rest of The Return! E_v_i_l_ L_A_U_G_H_!!!!!**


	9. Training With Karate Kid

The sun hadn't even risen, the air was bitter cold. "W-what the sp-sprock are we d-d-doing, K-Ka-Karate K-Kid?" Brainiac 5 asked, shivering, wrapping his arms around his bare, scarred chest, wearing only board shorts.

Karate Kid circled around the skinny Coluan, "I have been specially assigned by Lightning Lad to get you back into shape, since you won't have that nifty battle mode anymore." He took out a stopwatch from his jacket pocket, "Let's start with a lap in the pool."

Brainiac 5 looked at the pool timidly.

"It's easier to adjust if you just jump in," Karate Kid suggested.

"I-I d-don't k-k-know how t-to swim..." Brainy admitted. Karate Kid sighed. "I w-was a r-robot rememb-b-ber?"

"Well...It's not to late to learn..." said Karate Kid as he pushed Brainiac 5 into the pool.

"Gah!" Brainy shrieked just before he hit the water with a splash. The water seemed almost as cold as the air outside, and Brainy struggled to get out as quickly as possible.

"You really can't swim," Karate Kid mumbled, as he threw a heated towel over his comrade, who was coughing up water, and shivering beyond control. "And you don't have any body heat either..." He rubbed his head, "We have a way to go..."

"S-sorry"

"Do not worry my friend, for every obstacle, there is a solution," Karate Kid assured. "I'll have you back fighting in the Legion in no time."

* * *

"Timberwolf, does Brainy look okay to you?" Phantom Girl asked, taking a sip of her coffee. The two were sitting in the cafeteria, both in their uniforms from doing patrol the previous night.

"He looks a little tired, I guess," Timberwolf shrugged. "Why?"

"He's having nightmares _every_ night. I'm in the room two doors down and I can hear him screaming," Phantom Girl said. "I'll phase through his room, just to make sure he's okay. Either he'll be awake crying his eyes out or trying to shake it off by working on something," she shook her head. "He's barely sixteen, he shouldn't be going through this."

"Did you tell Saturn Girl?"

Phantom Girl nodded, "She already knows, but Brainy refuses to talk about it. He says it's none of our business and then locks himself in his room. SV's tried to talk to him, but he won't even talk to her. He tells her he's 'not emotionally stable enough' to be around her."

They both looked over at the table Brainiac 5 was sitting at. Karate Kid was standing over him, trying to get him to eat a substantial amount of food. "Do you know what he's dreaming about?"

"Saturn Girl won't tell me, but he's always yelling 'I'm sorry' or 'Get out of my head'. Last night he was pleading to 'make it stop'...I think it's about Brainiac. He's being haunted by it, and his emotions are getting the better of him."

"You know Brainy, Phantom Girl, he's solitary. He'll find a way to get himself out of this. Brainy will be perfectly fine in the next few days. If not, Saturn Girl will force him to do a therapy session with her, or something," Timberwolf assured.

* * *

Brainiac 5 hit the floor of the training arena, and the battle droid disappeared. "RESET IT AGAIN!" he shouted up to Karate Kid with determination.

"Brainy, we have been doing this for almost an hour straight. You need a break," Karate Kid said as Brainy got up. "Get some water or you're going to get dehydrated." Reluctantly, Brainy walked to the sidelines and drank some water. Karate Kid flew down next to him. "You're technique is good, but you need to work on your attacking and timing." He took a fighting stance. "When the droid comes in, instead of backing up, you're better off using a side-kick to stun your opponent," he explained while doing what he said, "otherwise the droid is at an advantage to attack you since you're shorter than it. The more distance you give it, the less advantage you have. Close the distance, and you will be successful." Karate Kid turned back to the control room, "Now we can try again."

Brainiac 5 returned to the center of the arena and took his fighting stance. The battle droid appeared again. Its armor flashed intimidatingly as it ran to its target. Just before it hit him, Brainy lodged a side-kick into its middle. The battle droid stumbled back and Karate Kid smiled in approval, but then it recovered. The battle droid transformed it's arm into a mace and held it over is head for a death blow. Karate Kid fumbled for the emergency off-button, but it was too late, the battle droid swung down his arm. Brainy put his arms in front of his face and closed his eyes tight. The mace hit with a clang.

And then another,

and another....

And another.

Brainy slowly opened an eye. The droid kept on swinging the mace, but it never hit the Coluan, because a glowing magenta force field was in its way. Karate Kid finally found the off-button and the droid disappeared. "How did you do that?!" Karate Kid said in amazement.

"I don't know...It just...happened," Brainy said, letting down the force field. "I guess I was too determined to die." He experimentally generated a small one over his hand. "My force fields are driven by my emotions..."

* * *

Shrinking Violet timidly walked into Brainy's room. He was at his desk, doing some research on the computer. She stood there silently, the last time she entered the room, Brainiac 5 was unconscious on the floor. When he came to, he jumped out of her arms and fled from her presence. He didn't even call her 'Vi' anymore and was very...jumpy whenever she was around him. She was sure they were finally going to be together when they almost kissed in the hospital. Shrinking Violet felt she needed Brainy. He was always there for her...at least when he was a robot. Colossal Boy had proven to be a real jerk, so she stopped hanging out with him. Especially after he started picking on Chameleon Boy when he was new. But after she stopped spending her time with Colossal Boy, she realized how lonely she was. The other Legion girls were nice and all, but she could never really connect with them. Brainiac 5 was the only one she had never really tried to talk to, which was surprising, since they had joined the Legion on the same day. When Superman was off on a mission and she got to fill in, it was her chance. Sure, Brainy was a little harsh at first, but she eventually gained his respect. They learned that they had a lot in common. "Brainy..." she said quietly.

The 12th level intellect looked over his shoulder, "Oh, Shrinking Violet, I...didn't notice you were there"

She strode up to him, "My flight ring needs recalibrating, it's not synching with...Dream Girl's...and we have to leave for a scout in ten minutes." She decided not to tell Brainy she was going on a patrol with Nemesis Kid, it was bad enough she was suffering.

"Dream Girl is away on TItan handling a dispute, but I'll fix your flight ring anyway," Brainy held out his hand. Shrinking Violet handed it to him. Brainiac 5 picked up a screwdriver and started working. "And you're really going on patrol with Nemesis Kid. Why did you lie to me?"

"Because-...I..." Shrinking Violet was caught off-guard by the question.

"I don't care about Nemesis Kid, he can think all he wants of me. I have no intentions of returning to evil ways, so I will ignore him. I suggest you do the same."

His voice was so dull and lifeless, she felt anger well up inside. "What's wrong with you, Brainy?"

"Nothing. Please, Shrinking Violet, do not turn this into an argument. I do not wish to do quarrel with you."

"You're acting differently around me, why? You don't call me 'Vi', you won't look me in the eye, won't say 'hi'."

"Such things shouldn't bother you..." Brainy mumbled.

"They do, Brainy! These little things that you do that are unique are special to me. I appreciated that you called me 'Vi' and could look me in the eye, and would greet me every day. Those things made me happy, Brainy," Shrinking Violet couldn't help saying.

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Brainiac 5 paused at this declaration. He stood up, a cross of confusion and shock on his face. They stared at each other, not knowing what to do, faces only an inch apart (as Shrinking Violet had stood on her toes at this point).

But then the alarm went off.

* * *

**I had writer's block on this for a long time. I knew what I was going to do, just didn't know how to say it. What Vi said seriously caught me off guard, I literally let that scene just come naturally. (which is how I do love scenes) This is probably the longest chapter for this story, and it's the (i think) second to last one. But there is a "The Return, Pt. 2" so don't worry, this story isn't over just yet!**


	10. The Return

"What's the situation?" Brainiac 5 panted, almost relieved that the alarm went off. He felt like he had the flu. Being so close to Shrinking Violet....

Triplicate Girl pressed the screen a couple of times, "It's the Scavengers, but we don't know where they are or what they're-" _ca-click_

The group turned around. "Ello, Legion," the scavenger holding the laser gun said, slyly. Brainiac 5, Triplicate Girl, Shrinking Violet, Nemesis Kid, Phantom Girl and Cosmic Boy took a fighting stance. "Nah-uh-uh! We got tis 'ole place wired. The ijiot that moves first dies before I blow this 'oint up."

"What do you want?" Cosmic Boy asked calmly.

He pointed the gun towards Phantom Girl, "I wont Princess here to write me a check, a couple billon would be nice..."

"Are you crazy?"

"I jus' mite be," the scavenger jabbed the gun into Phantom Girl's hip, "Now, the check please."

"Alright, alright!" Phantom Girl waved her hands in the air, giving Cosmic Boy a look that screamed 'use your damn powers already!'

"Now, please make this out to-" the scavenger's laser gun started to spark. "What the-" It exploded. Brainy let the force field disappear. Nemesis Kid took the opportunity to put the scavenger into a headlock. The scavenger just cackled, "You are making a very big mistake!"

Nemesis Kid chuckled back, "Oh really? You and what army?" Phantom Girl and Brainiac 5 smacked their heads, as a whole army of scavengers flooded Legion Headquarters. "Ahhh....sprock..."

"Legion, Go!" Cosmic Boy shouted, and everyone darted off. Nemesis kid punched out the scavenger he was holding and stuffed him in a closet.

* * *

The alarm was blaring now, Triplicate Girl divided into her three bodies and attacked a group of scavengers outside a room. The door slid open, revealing a groggy-looking Chameleon Boy, he scratched his side, "Isn't it a little early for training?" he yawned, oblivious to the alarm.

The purple body swung the white in a circle, "No! We're being attacked, Cham!"

The emerald green eyes snapped open, "Well you could have told me!" he shouted as he transformed into a gorilla, taking out scavengers by the handful.

* * *

Phantom Girl phased through the kitchen, where five scavengers were throwing around all sorts of cooking utensils. "HEY!" she shouted, and took out the nearest scavenger, "Puppy says those aren't toys!"

"What did you call me?" Timberwolf said in his gruff voice, wearing a 'Kiss the Cook' apron.

Phantom Girl whipped around, "Uh...Puppy?" she squeaked, as she hit a scavenger with a back kick.

Timberwolf looked in thought as he punched a scavenger coming at him, "Cute." Phantom Girl giggled, and did a spinning side kick and two punches to a scavenger that was waving a giant whisk in the air like he just didn't care.

* * *

Cosmic Boy tripped over a painted line and got captured.

* * *

Shrinking Violet ran down the hall, looking for any scavengers. Suddenly, something grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a storage closet. She let out a muffled cry from behind the hand that prevented her from speaking. "Vi, shush," Brainy whispered in her ear. He pulled her closer as a group of nasty looking scavengers carrying laser-swords passed by, looking for a victim. When they were out of sight, Brainiac 5 let her go and timidly grabbed her hand, "This way." They snuck over to the weapons room.

In the middle of the room was a bomb, ticking its way down to zero. Brainy pulled a screwdriver from his pocket and started unscrewing the back panel. Shrinking Violet touched his shoulder. "Brainy, this is a class five techron-bomb. They're impossible to disarm."

"Must I remind you I am a twelfth level intellect?" he said, a tone of sarcasm in his voice. "This is going to take all my concentration. I need you to guard the door...you're the only one I can trust..."

* * *

Nemesis Kid dashed down the hall, "CB2! SUN BOY! HELP!" The nasty-looking scavengers that Brainiac 5 saved Shrinking Violet from where on his tail. Colossal Boy and Sun Boy stared wide-eyed at the scavengers, and they were captured before they could blink.

* * *

Cosmic Boy, Nemesis Kid, Colossal Boy, and Sun Boy, bound and gagged, were stuffed in the same closet the first scavenger was stuffed in.

* * *

Brainiac 5 checked the timer, 40 seconds left. He disconnected the blue and red twisted wire, and set it aside. _Almost done..._ he thought. He was about to complete the final step when-

"BRAINY!" Shrinking Violet screamed. She was surrounded by scavengers, and had obviously been trying to handle the situation by herself for a while.

"VI!" Brainy jumped up, and attacked a scavenger with a backfist. With his distraction, Shrinking Violet elbowed her captor in the ribs, and hook kicked him in the head. She helped Brainy take out the last three.

5...

Brainy remembered the bomb.

4...

He slid across the weapons room.

3...

The green wire, where was the green wire?

2...

There it was. Brainiac 5 grabbed it, and winced.

1...

The beep wailed and screen flashed- Bomb Disabled. He let out a sigh of relief.

"You did it!" Shrinking Violet exclaimed, tackling him with a hug.

* * *

As the Science Police escorted the Scavengers into an armored car. Cosmic Boy turned to Brainiac 5, "Querl, you've really proved yourself today. I was wrong about you being a traitor." He pulled out a box. "I think it's time you came back."

* * *

Brainy put on his old flight ring and belt, wearing the new uniform the girls made, and faced towards Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy. He took a deep breath and recited the words he knew by heart. "To the Legion of Superheroes, I make this solemn pledge: To use my powers for good, to fight for justice and protect the innocent. To aid my fellow legionnaires in times of peril and keep their secrets safe. I choose a new name to honor the heroes of the past.

I am Brainiac 5."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_**Eh? Pretty good ending, huh? The Return Pt. 2 will focus on Brainy's adjustments to Legion work and the Fatal Five's evil plan to kill him...again! If there wasn't a part 2...there wouldn't be enough episodes to make a complete season. Ah well. **__Stay tuned for the rest of Pandora Darkspell's Legion of Superheroes- Season Three!_


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